The head of her far-right party, Jordan Bardella, warns banning her running for president would be "deeply worrying" for democracy.
Watch LiveBritish Broadcasting CorporationHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationHealthCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveDocumentariesHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationWatch DocumentariesTechnologyScienceArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindHealthWatch DocumentariesCultureWatch DocumentariesFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsWatch DocumentariesArts in MotionTravelWatch DocumentariesDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthWatch DocumentariesNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingAudioPodcast CategoriesRadioAudio FAQsVideoWatch DocumentariesBBC MaestroDiscover the WorldLiveLive NewsLive SportDocumentariesHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationHealthCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveDocumentariesWeatherNewslettersWatch LiveLe Pen's political fate rests on appeal trial opening in France26 minutes agoShareSavePaulin KolaBBC NewsShareSaveEPAMarine Le Pen has run for the French presidency three timesA high-stakes appeal by far-right French politician Marine Le Pen starts on Tuesday against a ruling that banned her from running for public office for five years.
Le Pen, 57, was found guilty last year of embezzling EU funds and if the ban is upheld she will not be able to stand in the 2027 presidential election. She insists she has not committed "the slightest irregularity".
Ahead of the appeal, the president of her National Rally party, Jordan Bardella, said barring her from the election would be "deeply worrying for democracy".
Bardella said he would not stand for president next year but would instead seek the lower-ranking post of prime minister.
The case at the Paris Court of Appeal will last until 12 February but a ruling is not expected before the summer, well ahead of next year's presidential vote.
Last year's case centred on charges that Le Pen, along with more than 20 other senior party figures, hired assistants who worked on her RN party affairs rather than for the European Parliament which paid them.
The judge, Bénédicte de Perthuis, said Le Pen had been at the "heart of the system" that saw the embezzlement of €2.9m (£2.5m) worth of European funds.
Le Pen was given a four-year prison sentence – with two years suspended and the remaining two to be served with an electronic tag rather than in custody. She was handed a €100,000 (£82,635) fine and banned from seeking public office "with immediate effect".
If she loses her appeal she could face an even longer jail term.
More than 20 RN figures were also found guilty in last year's trial and the party was ordered to pay a €2m fine, with half the amount suspended.
Eleven of Le Pen's colleagues are taking part in the Paris appeal, but 12 have decided not to challenge the original verdicts, including her sister Yann Le Pen who was given a one-year suspended prison term.
Addressing journalists on the eve of the appeal trial in the presence of Le Pen, Bardella said the RN leader would prove her innocence.
"It would be